//------------------------------// // Fair Weather Friends // Story: Surge // by Zvn //------------------------------// Chapter Two Fair Weather Friends Few places felt as calm as Fluttershy’s cottage. The home felt less like a house and more of an extension of the outside world, brimming with life. I took a sip from my tea as my quiet yellow friend cautiously corralled her animals into their beds. I was often amazed how tender Fluttershy’s nature remained, a tree continuing to sprout while the land around it burned; consequently, I was often worried how close the flames would have to be before the entire thing was ablaze. “Do you read a lot of news, Fluttershy?” “Um… well, yesterday I did just hear about the push for tobacco to be made legal; although I can’t imagine anyone would want to purposely poison themselves!” I was growing tired of easing the water into a boil. “So then, you haven’t heard about the bombings?” “Wh-what?” “There was a terrorist group that bombed Cloudsdale a few weeks back; we couldn’t get to it in time.” “Oh my goodness! Why would they ever do such a thing?” I started to notice the animals growing louder in commotion. “They’re still looking into it, but I’m starting to think it was a deliberate attack on Canterlot.” “Canterlot…?” “If you can’t siege a castle, you may as well attack its villages.” Fluttershy’s eyes only widened with shock, as her animals amplified their efforts to disturb the peace and quiet. “Regardless, Rainbow Dash got a hold of their leader, and… well to be honest I think I made a mistake as Princess. I’ve been trying to find Dash ever since.” “She hasn’t been visiting me, either… Have you checked with Zecora?” I couldn’t ignore the noise a moment longer. I lifted a hoof while giving my host a quizzical look. “Do they need fed or something?” Fluttershy made a soft, indistinguishable noise before turning to her pets. “I just gave them food. They don’t normally get like this...” Her words were barely audible over the noise. “You have no idea what it is?” “It—could be a storm... or...” Fluttershy appeared no longer confident enough to finish. “...Or?” “It’s silly, but I think all creatures are connected with magic, and some are much better about sensing it.” I pondered the probability of her conjecture; after all, the storm schedule was dry. “Is something here?” * * * I tread softly along the beaten path towards Everfree, as the sun lazily continued its rise into the heavens. I couldn’t find Rainbow Dash anywhere near Canterlot, and searching The Everfree Forest in its entirety could take days; fortunately, I had a friend who was far more connected with it than I.          As I removed one last branch from my vision, Zecora’s hut was finally revealed. The small cabin was surrounded in a thick fog, unnaturally rolling over the earth. I was hoping this would be my last stop on my hunt for a friend. “A bit early in the day, for Twilight to come this way.” I had assumed Zecora would sense my presence before I announced it. “Zecora, I need your help…” “Finding a friend, no doubt. I am aware of her whereabouts.” My ears perked up in excitement. “She’s here?” I watched impatiently as Zecora grabbed the bamboo her head had been balancing on, and lowered herself to the ground. “Come with me, my friend. We have a meal to attend.” * * * I lifted the bowl of soup to my lips, while studying Rainbow Dash closely. She hadn’t said much; nor had she shared my excitement about being reunited. In fact, I found myself struggling to read any of my friend’s thoughts at all. This wouldn’t do. “So, Rainbow Dash. How long have you been here?” The room was silent, save Zecora’s soft chewing of bread. “When do you think you’ll be heading back?” No response. “...Your friends miss you, Dash. And a nation still needs you.” My ears perked up as I saw her first words begin to take shape. “Doesn’t really seem like it.” Not what I was hoping for. “Rainbow, you know that you can’t just, abandon this. As much as you may want to…” “How am I supposed to defend a country, if I can’t defend it from myself?” “You’re exaggerating. Chestnut was a criminal who took the lives of several ponies. I should have stopped you, yes, but even if it was the right way, he’d be spending the rest of his life behind bars.” “Easy for you to say, you weren’t the one who nearly killed him.” The tension in the house amplified. Zecora very audibly and deliberately took the opportunity to clear her throat. “I believe it is time for me to check on the garden, it is about now that the crops—pardon…” Zecora left the cabin in a steady canter. I turned my head back to Rainbow Dash, and sunk my tone into a level perched just above a whisper. “...You can’t carry that weight. If anyone should have to bear it… I feel... accountable.” “Cut the crap, Twilight. I nearly killed him, I’m to blame… and you can forget about me returning to Ponyville. I’m done.” Her words began eating away at my tolerance, an acidic burn leaving its mark. “I fought for your freedom.” “...I didn’t ask for you to do that.” In frustration, I ran a hoof through my mane while dropping my muzzle. “NO ONE ASKS TO BE AN ELEMENT OF HARMONY!” I was shaking now, and I felt as shocked at my own words as Rainbow Dash appeared to be. I shut my eyes tight, and shook my head, suppressing the tears that were quickly emerging. “...You know that.” * * * I had spent most of the night now digging through the Canterlot Archives, briefly gliding over a few mildly interesting scripts. This was relaxing the only way I knew how. Lifting my head from my leisure, I found the moon to be settled just a tad from the apex of the glass dome housing the room; marginally further than its last position, I noted. I released a sigh, then dropped the book I was holding into the messy collection upon the desk. Then there was a creak. I quickly spun around to see a magnificent azure mane float into view, followed shortly by its owner. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, it’s an honor. And a rather interesting time to do research.” I turned back to the pile in front of me. “It’s not the first time.” I was shocked at my own voice, as it stumbled out of my mouth in an ugly, hoarse tone. “...Well, since you’re here; I just read a rather interesting article on the pony mind. A new study suggests that there may actually be a connection between our memories and the ethereal energy that our magic uses.” I heard her hoofsteps stop, and turned to her form, just on my right. “Yeah I… I heard something about that…” There was a quiet moment when Princess Luna considered me and my surroundings. “Life of a Princess more jarring than you’d like, I presume.” I quietly sighed and again looked upon the table. Or what bits of it I could see through the chaos. “I’m torn, Princess. I’m trying to adapt to my new life, and rule a nation… but I want to help my friends just as much; this is too much for me!” Luna levitated a tarnished tome with an alicorn sigil from the pile. “Perhaps you’re criticizing yourself too harshly. It wasn’t a month ago, and you concluded one of the largest cases of the past decade, while salvaging a friend’s career in the same meeting.” Yeah, I thought so too… Luna began flipping through the pages of the aging book, as dust was highlighted in the moonlight pouring down from the ceiling. A sudden realization passed through my thoughts. “...The humans didn’t need the Elements of Harmony…” “If I remember correctly, the humans also extinguished their own race.” I took a moment to think about Luna’s rebuttal. “It wasn’t until we closed those vault doors the humans really died.” “They did leave a rather remarkable legacy. But you seem to have forgotten the greatest of their creations: us.” I gave my heavy eyelids a moment to rest. It was pretty amazing to think about it. “‘...Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: The Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.’” Luna enjoyed a quiet chuckle while placing the book back on the table. I was curious. “What was funny?” “It has an interesting narrative direction, is all. I love my sister, and I understand that everything she did, she did with good reason.” My tired body seemed weightless as I waited for her explanation. “...But I can’t think of another soul in this world that deserves the pain I sustained that night.” * * * I had drifted without sleep into the next day. My friends were having a picnic, not unlike the ones we used to share prior to my duties in Canterlot, and they insisted that I showed up. I was excited to hear this, and accepted the invite with what little consciousness I had left. “Hey look! Twilight’s here!” My entrance highlighted by my pink friend, I watched as three smiling faces turned to greet me. I strained to compose an acceptable salutation. “Hey.” Very nice. “I’m so glad you could make it, Darling.” I approached my friends in a fragile trot, trying desperately to conceal the lethargic shamble my body was directing me to perform. “There’s no way I’d miss out on an opportunity to hang out with you guys.” “I’d hope so! What can possibly be more exciting than a picnic in Ponyville; WITH A BICYCLE, NO LESS?” The latter part of Pinkie’s question was punctuated by her usual animation, as she grabbed and mounted a bicycle from seemingly empty space.  “Those are on the consumer market now?” “Nooooope!” Pinkie was riding in the distance by the time I gave up on thinking about it. I instead turned to Applejack, who seemed just a tad distraught. “Fluttershy?” “I did try to get ‘er to come, but… well, you know…” I did; just as I knew there was no reason to even ask about Rainbow Dash. “Did ya talk with Rainbow Dash?” “...Yes.” My eyes began to wander to the horizon, where the library’s lush canopy was rustling in the wind. I felt my grasp on our conversation melt away. I stepped back in shock, realizing the floor was covered in shattered glass. Applejack gave me a curious look, and I was preparing a fabricated explanation when Rarity stepped between the two of us. “Now girls, I think we all have plenty of worries and concerns for our friend, but I think they should be saved until after our meal—you know, the one under a magnificent azure sky, and held together with light, contented conversation?” I took a moment to observe that magnificent azure sky, hoping to lose myself in its expanse. ‘Gryphon Sympathizer’ was barely legible on the wall just beneath the stairs, drawn crudely with white spray paint. “That sounds perfect.”